Notes / Commercial Description:
Jet-black in color, this monster smells of coffee and chocolate. The taste is much of the same, with hints of creamy toffee and roasted malt. Smooth and delicious, this medium bodied ale is all about the malts, but has enough hop bitterness to be balanced.

Reviews by barczar:

Roast malt and coffee surface immediately in the aroma, with nuttiness and chocolate emerging late. The balance is sweet, but an acrid roast character prevents it from being overwhelming. Malted milk balls and licorice surface late.

Flavor reveals dark fruit at the base, eventually becoming roasty-bitter, finishing with notes of coffee grounds. Dark cherries mingle with burnt breadcrust and chocolate. The tart underlying fruit is juxtaposed with the dry, slightly bitter finish, but the sweet chocolate character serves as a worthy bridge.

Body is on the light side, for the style, smooth, with higher carbonation than most. There's slight alcohol warmth.

Not the richest of imperial stouts. Balance is toward roast as opposed to toasted specialty malt. Wish the dark fruit character were more complex, or muted a bit...too much cherry. And the roast character is slightly charred.

More User Reviews:

4/5 rDev +1.3%look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a great double stout to drink when you're in the mood for a double stout, without any extra bs added.

Appearance is nice pitch black, with a soft white head that sticks forever. Smell is roasty coffee and chocolate, but that which comes from the dark malt, not added stuff. Taste is about the same, but more complex and full bodied than your typical stout, hence why it's a double stout. Feel is like I just described in the taste. Overall, I'd buy this one again, however the price point is a little high. The problem is it's hard to find a good double stout that doesn't have a bunch of other s*** added in (coffee, bakers chocolate, etc etc). Not saying I don't like all those beers, it's just nice to have a beer brewed with only malt, hops, yeast and water every once in a while.

L: dark brown, clear ... it's dark, so it's hard to see through all the way, but close examination proves this beer to be very clear; thick head about 1 inch ... even a light pour renders a solid head; no stock or lace, but the head is still impressive nonetheless

S: musty malt, some burnt notes; burnt coffee; vanilla -- loads of sweetness; cherry-chocolate; vanilla is prevelant, and there's a hint of whiskey to it

T: not as burnt as the smell, much smoother dark malt with coffee, chocolate, dark chocolate especially, oak wood, whiskey ... all of it is there, the classic big stout profile; it doesn't have (for me) the raisin or wine-like profile, BUT one can definitely be reminded of a port, sweet port

F: THICK ... the first one of these I tried felt like a milk stout, very lumpy; as I get a little more used to it, it's not quite as syrupy but still very very full. still drinkable because it's well carbonated

O: by far the best of the Southern Star offerings I've tried so far ... very oak-aged like ... hard to say exactly what distinguishes this stout from others like it, but I will definitely be grabbing some of this over time. at 8.25%, it's both big but still well under some of the bigger 11+% stouts out there, and I like having that option here. good brew!

Smell:4.25 - Dark chocolate, malt, toffee. I was expecting to pick up on some coffee, but I didn't. Great smelling beer!

Taste: 4.5 - A rich chocolate flavor up front and a pretty strong coffee flavor as well! This reminds me a little of Breakfast Stout by Founders, but possibly down a slight notch on the coffee. Awesome!!

Feel: 4.25 - Nice and thick with a little carbonation. Very easy drinking.

Pours really dark. The head was fairly thick, but did dissipate fairly quickly. The nose is has coffee in it. The taste has coffee and chocolate competing. They work well together, and this is a solid stout. Yes, I will get it again, gladly.

Coffee with lots of cream, and a bready, malted chocolate ball sweetness, with some toffee notes. Thinnish body, with prickly carbonation a touch higher than moderate. Quite malt-forward, without much hop flavor but a firm bitterness. Some fruity esters appear with warmth.

Alcohol is fairly noticeable, and perhaps a touch hot. Residual sweetness aids mouthfeel, but stops short of chewy or velvety.

Carbonation could stand to be lower and alcohol a bit more subdued. Flavor is nice and distinct, leaning heavily on coffee while chocolate and dark fruit flavors take a back seat. Worth seeking out. Thanks Doug!

Ruddy brew with a fizzy head. I get some smoke and roasted cocoa in the aroma. Black licorice, quite roasty, with bitter chocolate notes on my tongue and now in my brain. The finish fades into bitter coffee and peanut/sunflower seed. The flavors are very well established. Worth a try, I know some people love it.

Stout in a can! Always good to see! Pours into my glass a deep dark brown bordering on black with a two finger khaki head that's nice and creamy. Aromas start off with a lovely nutty, roasted charred malt with notes of chocolate, coffee and even a touch of smoke. Subtle creaminess as well. Quite inviting and malty.

First sip brings a wash of smooth roasted dark malts that are a bit charred as well. Lots of nutty notes along with a mix of chocolate, caramel and a touch of coffee. Somewhat spicy as it flows down with a creamy aspect throughout as well. Tasty stuff.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and smooth with good steady carbonation. A really drinkable stout that has a great flavor profile overall and I love the fact that this is in cans. Glad I gave this one a try, little expensive for a four pack though!

Nice dark apperance..very little lacing from this beer. No real head at all
smell is bland and thin. No real aroma from the beer.
Nice smooth taste roast from the malt is nice very little hop char. which you would expect from a stout
mouthfeel- thin not much there
overall - very drinkable stout but not spectacular

A: pours a root beer brown with a very small head that dissipates instantaneously. Decent red/brown color.
S: Lots of coffee and chocolate notes.
T: Some small coffee notes round into a malty medium with lots of carbonation. Good taste but fades off the tongue quickly.
M: Lots of carbonation and some mild malt.
O: Decent, wouldnt drink all the time but I could see it as a decent stout to close the night with. Lighter than most stouts.

Overall: This one drinks more like a complex coffee porter than a stout. This has one of the best looks of any beer in the non-Guinness division. Super complex, I would pick this up all the time if I could get this here. One of the best new stouts I have had in a while and easily my new favorite Texan beer.

Pours dark brown with a tan head. Aroma is lots of coffee and roasted malts. This is a great smelling beer. Flavor is roasty coffee, roasted malt and a chocolate aftertaste. The alcohol is completely hidden. This one could sneak up on you. Damn tasty. The mouthfeel is medium thickness and very creamy, really the highlight of the beer. Medium carbonation.